Artificial Heartbreak
by azurezury
Summary: cyborg!au - Aomine loses Kise to a tragic car accident, but Akashi and Midorima develop and produce KR-7007, an android Kise to help fill the void in Aomine's life. /character death; blood; lemon; multi-ships/ /cover by sandy on tumblr/
1. Silence

A/N: so, this is basically developed off of sandy (nooopantsss at tumblr) and her headcanons about a cyborg au. this fic contains aokise, midotaka, kagakuro, and aoaka, so be warned for multiple ships. check out her tumblr cause she's awesome and deserves a lot of credit for the ideas

0o0o0o0o0o

"We did everything that we could."

Aomine stares hard at the doctor in front of him, eyes slightly wide and mouth drawn into a firm line. His stiff position doesn't reveal the internal crumbling inside of him. For a second, he refuses to accept what the physician has said. He resists the urge to grab the white lapels and shake the physician, to yell at him that he is wrong. That they haven't done everything and there was something, /anything/, that they could do to fix his broken doll.

Hands raise to go through with the action, but they fall, clenched into fists. Finally. "Can I go see the body?"

He doesn't say 'can I go see Kise'. Kise is no more.

All that remains is a destroyed shell that once housed his lover.

Aomine is led back, glancing briefly over his shoulder to stare at Midorima. Kuroko's expression is unreadable. No surprises there. Midorima's green eyes betray his thoughts. Aomine feels a brief flare of anger and for a second he wishes that Takao had been the one to perish instead of Kise.

He wipes the thought away quickly.

The Emergency Room is bustling, nurses running back and forth, the room a symphony of beeps and coughing, the murmur of voices serving as the background noise. They go past the main rooms and into a quieter hallway. They pass a cracked door and he sees a woman sitting close to a man's bed, holding his hand, crying softly.

He wonders if she lost someone too.

"If you have any questions, just page the nurse." The instructions fall on deaf ears as the door to the dark room is opened. Overhead lights flicker on and Aomine's heart stops for a few seconds.

Kise's face is the first thing that he sees and emotion wells up out of nowhere, clutching his lungs and making the effort to breathe ten times harder. The left side of Kise's pale face is a muddy mixture of purple and blacks. His cut and swollen lips are pouty and even in death Aomine supposes that Kise wants to look his best.

A bubble of laughter escapes at the thought, the hysterical sound echoing in the room. Aomine walks over, a hand coming up and brushing through the now crimson locks. He's reminded of a time that Kise tried to dye his hair red and the disaster that followed. He had teased the blond about it for weeks. Another trickle of laughter escapes and Aomine wonders what was wrong with him.

As his hand slids through the hair, the laughter stops when he feels the crushing indent of Kise's skull. Sobering up quickly, Aomine's hand gently curves his hand down, afraid that he will hurt Kise more. He traces the shell of Kise's ear, noticing that the earring is still there. He bends down and gently undos it before pocketing the blue object.

Questions begin to flood his head.

Did Kise suffer?

Did Kise lay awake on some cold operating table, in agonizing pain and fear while doctors and nurses tried to save him?

Did Kise wonder if he would ever see Aomine again?

Did Kise wonder if he would die?

"Can I help you?" The soft voice startles Aomine and he turns around quickly, almost losing his balance. The woman in a knee length skirt gives a smile, her honey brown eyes expressing her condolences.

"I'm sorry?" Aomine questions.

"You buzzed the nurse's station. I thought you might have some questions."

Did he? He looks down at his hand resting on the side rail, his finger pressing against the call button. "Yeah. I guess just one." He glances back at the blond. "Did he suffer?" Aomine thinks back to the scene of the accident. Kise had been pulled from the front passenger side, right up against a guard rail. He had arrived with Midorima and Kuroko just as the ambulances had been loading up the victims.

"No." Her voice is soft. "From the report given, his neck was broken. He was presumed dead upon arrival after resuscitation measures were implemented."

Aomine swallows hard, another question falling from his lips. "Do you think he experience any pain before he died?" The nurse walks around to gently smooth the covers across Kise's chest.

"I am not sure." Her tone is apologetic. Aomine wants to believe that Kise didn't feel pain.

"Thanks." He turns his back on her, ending the discussion. She leaves, the gentle click of the door a signal for him to finally let his body sag onto the bed. He leans down, lips pressing against Kise's. He can taste the blood and his lips aren't warm. Instead, they feel cool. Not cold. But cool enough for him to notice a different.

He kisses Kise's shoulder next, eyes squeezing shut to keep any tears from coming out. He will not cry. Kise would tease him if he cried. Lastly, he kisses over Kise's heart and he turns his head to lay it on Kise's chest, ear straining for any sort of comforting /thump. thump. thump./

Silence greets him.

He sits up and takes Kise's arms, grimacing at the feeling of bones shifting underneath his fingers. He gently arranges his arms so Kise has them folded over his stomach. He reaches up to gently turn Kise's lips up into a small smile. His lower lip trembles at the sight of Kise smiling one last time. It doesn't even seem forced.

"There. Much better."

o0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine doesn't go to Kise's funeral. He knows that the model's funeral will be packed of grieving fangirls. He lets his anger towards them smolder. They do not know true pain.

He spends some time up at the hospital with Kuroko and Midorima, who are there keeping ever vigilant over Kagami and Takao, respectively.

The day after Kise's funeral, Aomine visits the grave site early in the morning. Flowers upon flowers surround the grave marker and he kicks a few out of the way, feeling better instantly. He clears out a space before kneeling down, placing a vase of yellow chrysanthemums down. He reaches into his pocket, fingers gripping around the blue earring in his pocket. It calms him and he finally stands.

Without another word, he begins his walk back down the gravely path.


	2. You're Not Him

"Come this way Daiki. I want to show you something."

Aomine frowns, following after Akashi. What is so important that he had to rush over to see right before his shift. He keeps his eyes on the red head in front of him, growing uncomfortable in the mostly white hall. It brings back memories. Unpleasant memories.

How long had it been since Kise's death?

It seemed like an eternity.

But in actuality, it had only been three years, six months, and fifty seven days.

Not that he is keeping count.

When the white walls fade into a soft blue, he feels more at ease. He stops when Akashi holds up a hand before joining Midorima at a panel of controls. "We've been working on this model for months. After the TK-2110 success, I think that the KR-7007 will be just as good, if not better."

Aomine's eyes slide over to Midorima and a couple of feet away stands the TK-2110. Aka, cyborg Takao. It creeps the ever loving fuck out of him. Especially when it turns to him and gives a smile, greeting him cheerily. The voice is Takao's but not at the same time. Aomine can't figure it out and that in itself is frustrating. He doesn't really know how he feels about reincarnating Takao like that.

He often wonders what it would be like for Kise to be recreated like that. He doesn't know if he would be able to accept Kise like that - a robot masquerading as a human.

"Daiki, are you listening?" Akashi's sharp voice brings him back.

"Yeah, sure." He shrugs. Akashi turns piercing eyes on him and Aomine flinches. "Sorry."

"Anyways, the KR-7007 is almost complete. I think you'll be very pleased with it." Akashi smiled. "I know I am." Pride laces his tone. The gears starts churning in Aomine's mind and he steps closer to the panel of buttons, now looking past the glass wall. Robotic arms move around, blocking the view from sight. He can see the shape of a male. He can make out blond hair and his breath catches.

His stomach rolls uneasily and he shifts, looking away. His gaze lands back on Takao, who seems to be watching Midorima with what looked like…affection. Could androids even feel affection?

"Daiki, since you seem to be in your own world, go wait in the living area. TK-2110, take Daiki upstairs."

"Come this way." Takao grins brightly, reaching over and grabbing Aomine's hand. Aomine jumps in surprise at the warm fleshy feel. He gets a closer look and he choked just a little. Real human skin.

Aomine wants throw up.

"Can I get you something to drink? Or perhaps you would like some red bean soup. That is Shin-chan's favorite, so we have plenty."

"Just…leave me alone." Aomine clenches the leather arm of the chair tightly. His knee bounces rapidly and he thinks about leaving. Takao pushes his lips together.

"You'll like Kise." Takao says after a moment. "Shin-chan says that he spent a lot of nights going over voice recordings and many pictures to make sure he got everything right, all the way down to the color of Kise's roots. He even put an earring in." Takao chirps away happily. Aomine feels the blue earring in his pocket burning against his chest. He rubs the spot unconsciously.

"You certainly sound and act like Takao." He mutters.

"I like to think that I am Takao." Aomine stiffens at the words.

"What do you mean by-"

"Daiki, come here." Akashi's voice leaves no room for delay. Aomine stands up, glancing at Takao. Takao follows, as if eager to get back to Midorima. He moves to stand by Midorima as Akashi pulls away a cloth to unveil the KR-7007. Aomine's heart stops and starts to beat fast. This android looked like Kise, right down to the tiny detail of his quirked up lips. The eyes are shut and that unnerves Aomine greatly. Akashi smiles, proud of his latest creation. "Isn't he wonderful?" He pats the shoulder gently, smoothing out the wrinkle of the cream colored shirt Kise wore. "He's like TK-2110, except programmed to act like Ryouta. I think you will be very satisfied with how he functions. He can cook, clean, eat, the possibilities are endless. All you have to do is turn his earring and it will turn him on. Go on. Turn him on." Akashi orders.

Aomine raises a shaky hand and cups the ear. The skin is cool and firm. Aomine hesitates for a moment more, but the stare of Akashi finally make him twist the small blue earring. He hears gentle fans start whirring away and the chest starts to rise and fall, a few squeaks emitting before quieting. Gold eyes pop open and mouth parts to take a first breath.

"Aominecchi!"

The voice startles Aomine so badly that he jumped back several feet, clutching his heart. The Kise android blinks, head tilting in curiosity before a wide grin spreads over his face. "Aominecchi, come here!" He flings his arms out and takes a step forward, stumbling lightly. Aomine quickly catches the android (he can't quite come to terms yet of addressing this robot as Kise) under the arms. KR-7007 wraps his arms tightly around Aomine, pressing his face into his shirt. "I've missed my Aominecchi." He rests his chin on Aomine's chest, large eyes staring up at him.

"Well Daiki, what do you think?" Akashi pressures. "Perfect. Absolutely perfect I know."

"Of course I'm perfect!" KR-7007 laughs and Aomine winces at the sound.

"Kise, your voice." Midorima gently corrects the android. KR-7007 blinks.

"Sorry. Still warming up the vocal cords." he smiles sheepishly, his eyes still glued to Aomine.

"Uh, he's um…" Aomine, for once, stutters over his words. He really doesn't know what to think of this new invention. KR-7007 feels warmer now, like a human, and it feels unnatural to Aomine. "Great. Just…great." KR-7007's eyes seem to dull, as if hurt by his words.

"Does Aominecchi not like me?" KR-7007's hands come up to grip Aomine's shirt. "Is it my voice? My clothes? I can change for you."

"No no, you're fine the way you are." Aomine places his hands on the android's shoulder, giving a strained smile. KR-7007 buys this and claps his hands excitedly.

"Can we go Aominecchi? Let's go home." KR-7007 tugs at his arm and Aomine glances back at Akashi and Midorima. Midorima's gaze is distracted by Takao, so Aomine is forced to look at Akashi.

"Thanks." He murmurs, letting KR-7007 pull him out of the room.

0o0o0o0o0o0

"Ooh, our home is so pretty!" KR-7007 wanders around the apartment living room, picking up pictures, caressing pillows. Everything is pretty much unchanged, except for the fact that Aomine has been sleeping on a futon in the living room since Kise's death. He can't bear to sleep in their shared room. It hurts too much. The futon is carefully packed in the closet, awaiting for its owner to retrieve it again.

Aomine collapses onto the sofa, watching the android move around. For a second, his brain fools him into think that it really is Kise walking around, cooing over the dusty pictures. He turns his eyes away and flips on the tv, settling on something mind numbing.

"Aominecchi-"

"FUCK!" Aomine jumps at the sudden nearness of KR-7007 kneeling beside him on the sofa. "What?!" He snaps. KR-7007 face drops and he looks away.

"Aominecchi, do you…do you not like me?"

"For the love of -" Aomine rubs his face. "It's just that, this is different. You are different."

"It's the clothes? I told Midorimacchi that cream color made me look washed out." KR-7007 plucks at his shirt. "I'll go change into something else." Before Aomine can stop him, Kise is up and headed to the bedroom. Aomine blinks and rushes after him. Kise stands in the closet, holding up a powder blue shirt. Aomine never did get rid of Kise's clothes. He always started with the intention of donating them, but he could never get them off the hanger.

"Let go of that!" Aomine yells and pulls the shirt from KR-7007's hands. "You're not going to wear his shirts!"

"But-"

"No! You know what, this was a bad idea. This is a bad idea. I'm going to take you back to Akashi. You aren't Kise. You're just some…some robot pretending to be a dead person. It's not right!" Aomine held the shirt close, the cologne that Kise always wore faint in his nose. KR-7007 looks utterly defeated. "I have to go to work. Just. Just sit somewhere and don't touch anything. Don't move. When I get back home, I'm taking you back." Aomine jams the shirt back in the closet. "Get out of this room." KR-7007 leaves and Aomine slams the door shut. The pent up emotion overwhelms him and he slides down the door, pressing the heels of his palms into his eyes to stem the tears.

KR-7007 stares at the door, hearing the muffled sounds behind it. He wants to reach out, to tell Aominecchi that he just wants to make him happy. But fearing anger, he steps away and goes back into the living room. And he sits there, eyes unblinking, watching the news. Aomine eventually emerges, dressed in his police uniform. Aomine says nothing as he grabs his keys and puts on his hat. He takes one last look at KR-7007, shaking his head before leaving, locking the door tight.

Only after the sound of Aomine's patrol car fades away does KR-7007 move. He turns the television off and feeling terrible for disobeying Aominecchi, he goes back to the bedroom. However, the door to it is locked too. He goes back to the living room, snooping around. Finally, he finds what he is looking for. A photo album, crammed in a bookshelf next to some trinkets. Curling back up on the sofa, he begins to flip through it. The pages are filled of pictures of Aomine and him. Well, the real him. KR-7007 instinctively knows that Kise must have made this book, full of colorful designs and funny captions.

For the moment, KR-7007 dreams that one day there will be a book like this on the shelf, full of picture himself with Aomine.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"You seem more stressed out than usual Aomine-kun." Kuroko's soft voice pulls Aomine out of his daydream. They're sitting at a booth in a hamburger joint, enjoying lunch together. It's easier to eat with Kuroko instead of eating alone.

"Yeah, well, having a Kise-bot wandering around the house at home is a little disturbing." He mutters, biting into a fry.

"It was weird at first, having Kagami-kun around. But, I like it now. The house doesn't feel empty." Kuroko gives a faint smile. "Just, take a couple of weeks to adjust. I think it helped me move on."

"But what if I don't adjust? What if I can't move on?" Aomine chews on his bottom lip. He wants to tell Kuroko that maybe it was easier for him and Midorima to move on because they got to spend time with Kagami and Takao.

Aomine never had a chance to say goodbye.

He still had nightmares. Fucking nightmares. Of hospitals and flipped cars and the blood staining that blond hair. It had taken him nearly half a year to be able to respond to car accidents, even if it was a minor fender bender.

"You'll get there. Everyone has their own pace. I believe one day you will be able to wake up and the pain hurts a little less."

"Do you still hurt?"

Kuroko gives him a sad smile in answer.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

The sun is down by the time Aomine returns home. He pauses in the driveway, looking up at the light coming from the window in his apartment. He leans against his car, rubbing his tired face. He contemplates sleeping out in his car tonight. Anything to avoid the cold robot upstairs.

Carefully he opens the front door, peering in. The television is on a music station, cheery tunes filling the house. He slides his shoes off and proceed down the hallway.

"Aominecchi! Welcome back!" KR-7007 appears in the kitchen doorway, a plate of short ribs in his hands, steaming hot and smelling delicious. "I found these and they were still good, so I decided to cook them for you! I even managed to get some hot sauce. I know you like them spicy." Aomine simply walks past KR-7007 and grabs a beer out of the fridge. He goes and sits down on the sofa, turning the television to the news. Kise frowns and puts the plate down. Aominecchi will want it later, he assures himself. He goes to sit down beside Aomine. "How was your day? Did you chase any bad guys?" KR-7007 attempts to draw Aomine into conversation, but Aomine simply ignores him.

Again, KR-7007 begins to talk. "I hope you don't mind that I cleaned up a little. Just mostly dusting. And some vacuuming I washed the dishes, dried them, and put them up. And I scrubbed the toilet. My shirt got a little dirty during cooking, but it's okay." Silence fills the gap again. KR-7007 rubs his thighs anxiously. Aomine moves and KR-7007 perks up. But Aomine simply discards his half-finished beer on the end table, stands up, and walks to the bathroom. The door shuts and the lock clicks. KR-7007 slouches down, feeling the prick of tears in his eyes. Refusing to show weakness, he picks up the beer and takes it into the kitchen, putting it back in the fridge. He packs up the short ribs and puts them next to the beer. No use in food going to waste. He begins to wash one of the pots he used to marinate them in, slowly running the washcloth over the steel.

At least Aomine has not motioned to take him back to Akashi. He doesn't want to go back to Akashi and Midorima. He wants to stay here, with his Aomine. He stays in the kitchen, listening to the shower run for a long time. Finally it stops and the door opens. He peeks around the corner. Aomine with nothing but a towel around his waist is certainly an eyeful and KR-7007's grip falters, the pot dropping with a bang. Aomine glares at him before disappearing into the bedroom. KR-7007 takes out his frustration on the pot, scrubbing and scrubbing until his hands turn red with rawness. Not like it matters. Healing is a snap.

Aomine comes back out in his nightclothes and stops by the closet to pull out his futon. He stretches it out in the living room and lays down, turning off the lights.

"Aominecchi-"

"Stop calling me that."

"Aomine, aren't you hungry?"

"No."

"Thirsty?"

"No."

"Aomine-"

"Leave me alone."

KR-7007 lets out a breath and resigns himself to sit at the kitchen table. The gentle ticking of the clock and the muted sounds of the television are all that he hears for a long while. However, Aomine's gentle snores fill the air. KR-7007 stands up and goes to kneel over Aomine. Even in his sleep, Aomine looks troubled. KR-7007 reaches a tentative hand out and touches Aomine's cheek. Aomine mutters something in his sleep and leans into the touch.

"Kise…" He whispers. Taking a risk, KR-7007 settles down beside Aomine, smiling broadly when Aomine turns over and leans into him. His eyes begin to get heavy now that he is comfortable, sleep gently carrying him away.

Perhaps Aomine will keep him after all.


	3. Making Progress

_"Aominecchi."_

_Aomine rolls over, smiling at the gold eyes staring at him sleepily. He lifts a hand and gently strokes back soft hair, sighing at the feeling. "What?" he murmurs, leaning in to give Kise a kiss. _

_"Wake up."_

_He pulls back, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. He notices a wetness on his lips and he touches them, pulling back blood on his fingertips. Kise is still staring at him, but his eyes are dull and where he is touching the blond locks there is blood seeping out, the strands slowly turning crimson. _

_"Kise! You're bleeding!" Aomine sits up. Kise turns onto his back, eyes closing slowly. A bruise is forming on his face, his lips splitting open. _

_"Wake up Aominecchi." Kise says softly. Aomine clutches Kise's face. _

_"Kise, no!" Aomine yells, fingers curling into the rapidly cooling skin. _

_"Wake up."_

Aomine's eyes pop open and he stares up at a pair of worried gold ones.

"Kise." He lifts a hand and strokes the soft cheek. His mind is fuzz but he's comforted knowing that Kise is there. "Kise, I dreamed that you were dead." Aomine's voice drips with relief. He leans up to connect their lips. But something is off. The lips, soft and warm, are not Kise's. Instinctively, he knows these lips forming against his own are not the ones he knows and loves.

KR-7007 grunts softly as he is pushed away. Aomine sits up, his eyes wide and crazed looking in the dim light of the morning. "You were having a nightmare Aominecchi-" Kise explains, reaching out to gently touch Aomine's arm.

Aomine jerks back. "Do. Not. Touch. Me." He growls, shaking lightly in a cold sweat. He rubs at his lips, trying to get the taste off his mouth. He briefly prays for Kise to forgive him, for touching the lips of this cheap imitation. KR-7007 doesn't bother to hide his hurt. Aomine pushes himself up and hurries down the hallway, barely managing to make it to the toilet before he's throwing up. KR-7007 follows, holding back Aomine's hair.

Aomine slaps KR-7007's hands away, glaring at him as he wipes the vomit from his mouth. "I TOLD YOU NOT TO FUCKING TOUCH ME!" He screams. He can't stand the thought of that…monster…touching him. KR-7007 stumbles back as Aomine starts a shower and steps into the tub, throwing his clothes over the side. KR-7007 is glad that Aomine is behind the floral curtain.

That way he can't see the tears dripping down his face. He wishes that Midorima had not made him with the ability to cry. KR-7007 found the emotion and action extremely unpleasant and wants to never experience it again.

Aomine stays in the shower until his skin becomes numb from the cold spray. As he dries off in front of the mirror, he notices the dark circles underneath his eyes. He can't remember the last time he slept soundly. Exiting the bathroom slowly, he looks around cautiously. The apartment is silent. Perhaps KR-7007 is sitting in the living room or kitchen. Upon further exploration Aomine discovers that KR-7007 is no where to be found. A part of him feels responsible for the disappearance and he knows that he'll need to track down the android. But for right now, he's going to enjoy the silence. Heading into the bedroom, he goes over to the nightstand and picks up a picture. It's of him and Kise, taken a week before his death. It's from a photo booth from when they went to Tokyo for one of Kise's photo shoots. Kise has his arms wrapped around him, a large kiss being planted on Aomine's cheek.

/"Aominecchi, let's go take a picture!"

"Kise, you just got done taking pictures!" Aomine groans as he is dragged through the crowded open mall.

"Yeah, but I want to take pictues with Aominecchi!" Aomine stumbles into the cramped booth with Kise. The screen instructs them to smile, but Aomine can't stop laughing as Kise blows raspberries on his cheek. The camera flashes and Kise releases him a large smack of the lips. "Aominecchi tastes so good!" Aomine turns his head, capturing Kise's lips in a kiss.

"You taste better."/

Aomine lays on his back, still staring at the picture. Finally, he lays it down on the pillow beside him. "I miss you so much." He whispers. "I wish you could come back."

0o0o0o0o0o0

KR-7007 has an impeccable sense of direction much like his sense of fashion. Though right now, he is wandering around, incredibly lost and feeling lower than dirt. He looks like a bum almost, still in his dirty shirt and wrinkled pants. He figures that Aomine won't miss him and he will be glad to be relieved of his presence for a little bit. There is the urge to eat, but he has no money. So he resigns himself to continue walking. Maybe he'll end up in a place where someone will want him.

0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine uses his patrol time to ride up and down the streets, looking for a disheveled blond model that's really a robot impersonating a dead person.

Things really can't get more fucked up than that, can it?

The incoming dispatch proves to one up the situation.

"Calling all units," The static crackles. "Calling all units. There is a disturbance at Yokohama World Porters. There is a large crowd of females running through the main entrance. All units please report immediately." His look for KR-7007 would have to be put on hold.

Pulling up into the parking lot, Aomine's mouth fell open at the swarms of people crowding, trying to break past the line of security guards and police officers. He hops out, pushing past the crowd and jumping the line of officers. "What's going on?" he asks, almost having to yell above the noise of the crowd.

"Well, evidently there's some guy running around posing as your model boyfriend that died a couple of years back."

/Three years, six months, and fifty eight days./ Aomine wants to correct. But the reality of the situation hits him.

A guy running around posing as Kise.

"Oh fuck this all to fucking hell!" Aomine groans, rubbing his face. "Where's he at?" he demands.

"They detained him on the second level security office."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"I'm getting very tired of this game sir. Who are you?" The chief mall officer looks like he wants to hit KR-7007 upside the head. Repeatedly.

"I am Ryouta Kise." He repeats. No one is supposed to know he is a cyborg. Akashi and Midorima made this very clear to him. The door to the office slams open and Aomine rushes in. For a second, KR-7007 sees the look of fear in those dark eyes, followed swiftly by anger and annoyance.

"I'll be taking over." Aomine informs the man. He lifts KR-7007 up by his arm. "My friend is from out of town. He's actually Kise's cousin. It's uncanny how much he looks like Kise since he dyed his hair." Aomine lies right through his teeth. He wouldn't believe the shit he's spitting out and for a moment the chief gives him a questioning look. He shakes his head.

"Whatever. Just get him out of here and tell him not to come back! We almost had a riot on our hands." Aomine nods and drags KR-7007 out.

"Aominecchi, thank you so much-"

"Shut. Up." Aomine demands. "You. You just can't stay out of trouble. I've had you for two days. TWO FUCKING DAYS." He shakes his head. KR-7007 looks away, stumbling along after Aomine. They leave through the back, where someone brings his patrol car around. Aomine shoves KR-7007 in the backseat. Leaning out, Aomine informs his fellow officer he'll be into work in an hour. They pull out of the parking lot in a tense quiet, the radio flipped off.

Finally, "What in the hell were you thinking?"

"I -"

"You weren't thinking! You can't just go around in broad daylight! People know that Kise's dead. You're lucky they didn't think you were some sort of zombie and you didn't induce some sort of widespread panic!"

"Aomine-"

"No, you listen!"

KR-7007's eyebrows dipped and a scowl came across his face. Aomine opened his mouth to speak, but KR-7007 beat him to it. "No! You listen to me! I left the apartment because I was obviously making you upset. But I didn't mean to do that! I've been programmed to fill a void in your life. I know I won't be what Kise was. I get that. But I wanted to make you happy. That's all I want!" KR-7007 turns his face to look out the window. "I was going to come back, but then people started chasing me. I apologize for leaving. But you forced me out. I may be a robot, but…but I have feelings too! I feel like the real Kise. I feel like you."

"Akashi said-"

"Akashi wasn't the only one that worked on me. He may have designed me, but Midorima put my emotions in. He didn't think you deserved to just have some robot that would answer your commands and stand around until you decided you wanted to deal with it. He wanted you to have what he has. A happy relationship - with me." A soft sigh. "He thought you deserved more. Midorima did that with Kagamicchi. He told me. He said that Kuroko liked that aspect of Kagamicchi, so he did that with me too. He said that he worked extra hard on me. Almost as hard as Takao. Because he felt bad for you."

The silence becomes deafening when KR-7007 stops speaking. Aomine pulls up into the drive way of his apartment and he gets out, opening up KR-7007's door. The android exits silently and they both go up the stairs. Upon entering the home, KR-7007 says, "I won't leave the home this time."

"I know." Aomine murmurs and reaches over, gently grabbing the blue earring and twisting it. Surely if twisting it turned KR-7007 on, it would turn KR-7007 off as well. Bingo. The light dulls in KR-7007 eyes and his body becomes stock still. Aomine lets out a breath and pulls the android along. He drags the heavier body all the way back to his bedroom. Grunting, he lays KR-7007's body on his side of the bed. "There. Now you won't get into any trouble." He mumbles, rearranging a couple of pieces of hair and pushing the lids close on his eyes.

Now. To get back to work.

0o0o0o0o0o

After a long and grueling shift, it is night for Aomine to come home to a quiet apartment. He lays on the sofa for a while, eating the short ribs that KR-7007 cooked yesterday. He doesn't want to admit that they are fairly good. Grabbing two beers to help steady himself, he finally makes his way into the bedroom. There lays KR-7007, looking so peaceful. He almost reminds Aomine of how Kise looked in death, and the nightmare resurfaces for a moment. Shaking his head of the thought, he cracks open a beer and guzzles half of it before he gets the nerve to touch the android.

The skin has cooled and Aomine guesses it's because the internal heaters are off. He slides his hand along the arm, wishing that he could turn on KR-7007 without really turning him on. He sits down on the edge of the bed and cups KR-7007's face, smoothing his thumbs over the pouty lips. Midorima even managed to capture the slight dimples from Kise's cheeks. Aomine smirks to himself. And here he thought that no one could ever capture Kise's perfection.

Akashi and Midorima have come pretty damn close.

Aomine slowly unbutton's KR-7007's still stained shirt and smooths the fabric aside. KR-7007's chest is sculpted flawlessly. There is a small smattering of hair around the android's stomach that disappears below his pants. Aomine doesn't have the strength to look any further. He finishes off his first beer and opens up the second one. There is nothing about KR-7007 that hints about his robotic origins.

Could Aomine ever fool himself into thinking that this robot could replace Kise?

No one or no thing could ever replace Kise.

But maybe, just maybe, he could learn to accept KR-7007.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

When KR-7007 wakes up, the first thing he sees is Aomine's face. There is no smile, but he doesn't look angry. Instead, he just looks lost. Acting on instinct, KR-7007 leans up and hugs Aomine tight. He expects to be pushed away, but after a moment of sitting there awkwardly, Aomine returns the hug.

If KR-7007 had a heart, it would have melted at the touch. He pushes his face into Aomine's neck, enjoying the warmth.

"I'm still mad at you though."

"That's okay. I'll take you being mad and hugging me over you being mad and not talking to me any day."

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"So why are we going to Kuroko's again?" KR-7007 is pressing his face against the window of his patrol car. It has been a week since the incident with the mall and Aomine is more careful about KR-7007's exposure. But he also knows he can't keep his android all holed up while he works. Thankfully, a solution was devised. On the days that Aomine worked, he would leave KR-7007 at Kuroko's house to keep Kagami company. Kuroko's nine to five job as a kindergarten teacher often left Kagami by himself already.

At least now the two bots would have some company.

"I told you. You're going to be hanging out with Kagami while I'm at work. It'll keep you out of trouble."

"I don't get into trouble."

Aomine shoots a look and KR-7007 grins sheepishly. Moments later, they pull up in front of a cute cottage type home. Kuroko and Kagami are already outside, Kuroko kneeling in some dirt and planting some flowers. Kagami kneels beside him, helping pour on potting soil.

"Hey Aomine-kun, Kise-kun." Kuroko calls out, standing up and dusting off his pants. KR-7007 bites his lip, wishing that Aomine would call him Kise. He gives a small wave.

"Kurokocchi, Kagamicchi, it's good to see you both!" He runs over and gives Kuroko a large hug. Kuroko blinks and gently pats him on the back. KR-7007 tackles Kagami next, making the other bot squirm and push him away.

"Off!" Kagami manages to free himself from KR-7007 and goes behind Kuroko, glaring at KR-7007, who distracts himself by smelling the flowers. Aomine shakes his head.

"Hey Kuroko, Kagami." Aomine quirks a brow as KR-7007 starts patting more soil around the plants. "Yeah. Have fun with him."

Kuroko smiles lightly. "It sounds like things are going better." Aomine shrugs.

"As good as it gets with the circumstances." he pops his neck. "C'mon Kuroko, I'll give you a ride today." He looks at Kagami. "Keep him out of trouble. He has a knack for finding it."

Kagami sulks but a hug from Kuroko brightens his spirits. After receiving a quick peck on the cheek, Kagami waves the two off. Once they're gone, he looks back at KR-7007. "Do you want me to call you Kise?"

The blond looks up, a dazzling smile on his face. "I would love that."

0o0o0o0o0o

"How is KR-7007 working for you Daiki?" Akashi spins slowly in his chair, the phone cradled on his shoulder. He's flipping through a magazine. Home alone, he's grown tired of the boredom and decided to hit up Daiki and see how he's adjusting with his robot.

"Things are better." Is all Aomine says. He can hear "Aominecchi!" in the background and his upper lip lifts in annoyance. He could kill Midorima for installing that nuisance.

"Good good. Just as I expected." Akashi lifts a pencil to his lips to chew on the end of it. "I want you to bring him in this weekend so I can check of his mechanics."

"Why?"

"Because as a complicated android, he needs to have his circuits checked periodically." Akashi says this as if Daiki should already knew this.

"Oh, well, maybe we can get around to it. Kuroko and I were going to take Kagami and KR-7007-" "Aominecchi! Please, call me Kise! Or Kise-kun like Kurokocchi!" "I am not calling you Kise-kun!" Daiki coughs. "Anyways, we're going to Tokyo for a visit. I've got some days off and I could use being out of town. Besides, I need to get KR-, I mean, Kise, some clothes and maybe some things to entertain himself while I'm at work."

"Daiki, I-"

"I know, you demand and all that. But, I think right now he's fine. We'll make up the rechecking. Listen, I have to go. He's getting into the DVDs and wanting to watch a movie. I'll call you later." The phone goes dead.

The pencil snaps in Akashi's fingers and he scowls, slamming the phone down.

This is not good.

Not good at all.


	4. As You Wish

"So, ah, Kagamicchi, do you and Kuroko ever…you know…do stuff?" KR-7007, now referred to affectionately as Kise-bot, asks as he sits with Kagami at the kitchen table in Kuroko's home. They're working on a thousand piece puzzle since it's raining outside.

Kagami glances up, having some trouble on fitting some of his pieces together. "Of course we do stuff. We do stuff all the time." He rolls his eyes. Kise shifts, a little uncomfortable. "I meant like…you know…touching and stuff." This entire conversation is incredibly awkward, but he wants to know if Kagami suffers from the same feelings he does. Over the course of the last couple of months, Kise has started to develop more than just friendly feelings for Aomine.

Kise often fantasizes about Aomine's lips and spends much of his time staring at them. And when he lays next to Aomine at night, he has trouble falling asleep until he's counted the ridges along Aomine's spine with his fingers.

"We touch." Kagami sounds a little confused though.

"Like, touch each other…intimately?"

Kagami's eyes snap up and if he had the ability to blush, he would be a bright red by now. "No no…no." he shakes his head. "Kuroko and I don't do that. We're happy with the way we are."

"Oh." Kise looks back down at his side of the puzzle. "Forget I ever asked then."

0o0o0o0o0o0

Aomine is beginning to enjoy their nightly routine. He comes home from work with Kise-bot, who cooks while he showers. After a usually delicious dinner, they sit on the sofa and watch television before he drags the futon out and they turn in for the night.

"Aominecchi…"

"Hm?" Aomine doesn't look away from the television. His arm is tossed over the back of the sofa, but Kise has pulled it around his shoulders and snuggled up close. It still feels weird, but he's used to it now. He grabs his beer, taking a swig.

"Will I ever see you naked?"

Aomine spits out the beer, coughing hard. Kise thumps him on the back, a worried look on his face. "W-what?" Aomine sputters. Kise glances down.

"I would like to see Aominecchi naked." He repeats. Aomine swallows, looking at the android.

"Why?" Is all he can manage. Kise bites on his lower lip.

"Because…I just do…" Kise doesn't want to tell Aomine that he wants to see him naked because he desires Aomine. While he may have been programmed to love Aomine anyways, Kise knows that this is a different love. He wants Aomine in the way a male wants a female on those late night adult shows he sometimes sees when channel surfing, long after Aomine has gone to sleep.

Aomine shakes his head, feeling a little uncomfortable. "No. I'm sorry Kise-bot, but I don't think that would be appropriate." Kise feels rejection fall hard onto him and he shuffles away from Aomine lightly. Aomine, taking notice, pulls Kise back into his arms in a hug. "Kise-bot, you're good and all but-"

"But?"

"I just don't think that will ever happen between us." Aomine turns his head towards the television. They sit there for a moment, in awkward silence. Kise bites down on his lip, feeling like he has ruined their perfect peace. And just to think he was finally getting Aomine to warm up and open up to him.

Guess he shouldn't approach the subject of sleeping in the real bed, Kise thought. They settle back down into silent, though the tension is still there. Aomine's thoughts drift. Yeah, the frustration has built up since his grief has gone down. But he couldn't even stomach the thought of /doing/ anything with Kise-bot. Besides, Akashi didn't really put in appropriate parts. Not like that would make a difference. Having sex or doing any sort of sexual thing with Kise-bot felt like a perversion of sorts.

So Aomine had pretty well resigned himself to a fate of celibacy and decided that now would be the time to invest in some lotion.

"Aomine…"

Aomine mentally groans. He wonders what sort of issue Kise-bot will bring up next.

"Yeah?"

"When will we ever sleep in the regular bed?"

Aomine's heart stops and then pounds hard for a second. His legs go weightless and he can feel his head swimming. Dragging in a deep breath, he manages a hardly convincing shrug of indifference. "I don't know." Reality is that he truly doesn't know if he'll ever be able to lay in that bed again. Too many fresh memories. He hasn't even changed the sheets since Kise's been gone because he still wants the pillow and covers to smell like him, no matter how faded the scent gets.

"Aominecchi, I'm sorry for bringing it up." Aomine looks over at Kise-bot, seeing the guilt all over his face. He gives a faint smile.

"It's okay." he reminds himself that while he's dealing with a robot, this robot has such an array of emotions that he could almost be mistaken as a real person. Kise-bot gives a smile back and they resume watching television, the air now a little bit lighter between them. While Kise feels at peace with Aomine's decision about the bed, he still harbors inner desire to see and touch Aomine. Kise understands that he needs to only be patient and good things will come to him.

0o0o0o0o0o0o

"Akashi, I'm missing some Vicodin " Midorima's disapproving tone causes Akashi to lift his eyes up from the science magazine he is flipping through.

"And this is my problem how?" He quirks a brow, watching as Midorima's scowl deepens.

"Akashi, it's dangerous to take that sort of medication inappropriately. It's very addicting." Midorima lectures him and Akashi bristles lightly.

"I don't know why you're pointing an accusing finger at me. Why don't you go question Takao." He spits, turning back to his literature.

"I'm serious-"

"Leave me Midorima." Akashi's cold tone leaves no room for argument. He slumps lightly when the door clicks shut. He scoots back in his chair and pulls open a drawer, revealing several white pills. He takes one and swallows it dry. Since it will take a few moments for it to hit, he shuts his magazine and strips off, heading to bed. Once in bed, he uses his remote to turn on a hidden video player and a light flickers on the opposite wall before video begins to play.

It's recordings of Aomine, taken from Kise's memory chip from his last tune up. Aomine doesn't know it and Kise-bot can't tell that the memories have been copied and downloaded to another source for Akashi's own enjoyment. The images and video seems mundane enough: Aomine rolling his eyes, smiling, sleeping. Akashi particularly likes the images of Aomine in his uniform or footage from when Kise-bot and Aomine went to the beach.

Pausing the player on an image of Aomine standing waist deep in water and positively glistening, Akashi slicks up his hand with a little bit of lotion before reaching beneath the covers. His arms and legs are starting to feel light, which helps give him the illusion that it is not his own hand that tentatively cups and strokes his cock. He sucks softly on his bottom lip, pressing the play button again. Images continue to flash by as Akashi slowly works himself up, thumb teasing the head of his erection. The feeling of lightness spreads throughout his entire body, increasing the pleasurable sensation. He pushes the covers off, hissing at the cold air teasing his body. His hips buck gently, lifting in want. His eyes fuzzily focus in on the streaming pictures of Aomine and he grits his teeth, fist closing around his shaft and pumping firmly. "Nyehh…Dai-Daik-ki…" he pants, head tilting back. A finger slips down and teases his ass, just enough to make his toes curl. He shifts and the finger slips in, still slick from lotion and the liquid streaming from the tip of his length.

"DAIKI!" Euphoria spreads through his body as he climaxes suddenly, thick liquid coating his thighs and stomach. His body shudders as his hands fall away from his body. He can feel the steam rising from his skin as he lays there in a daze. The room is black and he shuts his eyes, drifting off easily to sleep.

0o0o0o0o0o

_Knocking gently on the door, Akashi is patient as he waits for Aomine to answer. When he does, Akashi is taken aback by the appearance of Aomine. Disheveled, dressed in wrinkled black, and generally looking like a wreck. It's been a week since the death of Ryota and Akashi wanted to come and see how Aomine is holding up. _

_Obviously not well. _

_"Daiki, can I come in?" He asks softly as Aomine seems to just stare past him. Aomine doesn't say anything but merely turns away and lets Akashi come in. Akashi looks around. The sink is piled with dishes and he is sure the fridge is stuffed with food from sympathizers. A basket of candies and sweets sit untouched on the table. Probably from Atsushi. A vase of bright pink flowers sits next to it. He simply rolls his eyes and follows Aomine into the living area. A futon is in front of the television with some blankets and pillows piled on haphazardly. Aomine is sitting on the sofa, looking through a photo album. _

_While Akashi does feel the loss of Kise, he can't help but think that this is a new opening for him. Long has he coveted Aomine, always wondering why the Ace had been attracted to the blond idiot. Daiki deserved someone smarter, more on his level. Not a hapless puppy. _

_"Daiki, it isn't healthy for you to stay cooped up like this." Akashi chides gently. "Let me take you out to get something for dinner. You can freshen up. Maybe stay the night at my place." Was it wrong for Akashi to be preying on Aomine while he was weak? Probably. But this was his chance. Surely from looking at Aomine, the male would need someone to cling to. _

_Akashi wanted to be that person. _

_Ryota was dead and he was alive. He could comfort Aomine and perhaps something new would blossom out of it. _

_"Thanks but I'd rather stay here."_

_Akashi tries not to let the crushing feeling overwhelm him. _

_"Daiki." he states firmly. "I insist that you get out of here." Aomine looks up at him and there's so much anguish in those dark eyes. _

_"Akashi. Please. Just leave me alone." _

_Akashi momentarily considers pulling Daiki up by his shirt and out of the apartment, but he knows, in the end, it will only hinder him. _

_"As you wish." Akashi manages to maintain his composure until he leaves and arrives back home. Midorima is still at the hospital with Takao and Kuroko with Kagami. Akashi finds himself standing in Midorima's private pharmacy. After searching through different labeled bottles, he finally finds what he's looking for. _

_Two Vicodin later he's passed out in his bed, holding a pillow close and imagining that it's Aomine he's hugging instead._


	5. You Can't Have Him

Going without sex for half a year was starting to kill him, Aomine thought as he drove home, fingers tapping anxiously on the steering wheel. The grieving process, now moving into the acceptance phase, meant that he was getting back to normal.

As normal as one could be when living with an android version of your dead lover.

That aside, the normalcy started to bring back old urges.

Like the urge to fuck. Hard and rough, soft and tender. He didn't care. He just wanted to do it.

Sure, he could have probably hooked up with someone random from a bar, or even pay a prostitute. But for one, he didn't know how actually ready he was to have sex (even though his body felt like it was going through a second round of puberty with all the hormones running rampant); two, there was the tiny matter of Kise-bot finding out and throwing a shit fit; and three, the thought of doing it with anyone besides Kise made his stomach roll a little bit. Okay, perhaps one and three could be combined, but still.

As he pulls up into the driveway, looking up at the lit window, he rests his head on the steering wheel. Already he can feel the next tidal wave rising up inside of him and images flash through his mind.

_Kise withering underneath him, looking oh so edible. _

_Kise on top of him, riding him while teasing his nipples. _

_Kise fingering himself for Aomine's viewing pleasure._

"Fuuuuuckkkk." Aomine hits himself on the steering wheel, jolting when the horn honks at him in protest. He glances down at his pants, already feeling a tightness in the fabric. Inhaling deeply, he takes a few calming breath and recites police protocol until he can get out of the car and walk up the steps without fear of injuring delicate body parts.

"Ah! Aominecchi! I wondered how long you were going to stay out there!" Kise-bot greets him with an overly enthusiastic hug, squishing their cheeks together. It's his new thing. Last week it was pushing his cheek into his chest. "I tried out the new sushi rolling board and I think everything turned out delicious!" Aomine flicks his mind onto auto-pilot, letting Kise-bot lead him into the kitchen and set him down. Kise-bot is almost like a happy little housewife. It helps that he gets out with Kagami-bot and occasionally Takao-bot. Kise-bot hands him a beer and puts a plate of surprisingly good looking rolls. The ingredients are fresh and he asks, "Did you go to the market today?"

"Oh yes! Kagami and I decided to take a short drive up to the little village where the fish and produce are always fresh." Kise-bot chatters on and Aomine nods, drinking his beer and eating the tasty fish. As he looks down on the table, he is reminded of the first night Kise and him moved in here.

And how they, ahem, christened every part of the new house. Including the table.

Kise-bot gives a slight sigh of happiness at the tiny smile etched on Aomine's face. He loved seeing Aomine smile and the other seemed to be doing it more often now. Something about the act was so pure, so genuine that it melted him inside. It made his desire for him grow even stronger. Aomine wasn't the only one frustrated from lack of touch. Kise may not have the parts, but damn it if he didn't have the urges and the want.

After dinner, the two split ways. Aomine heads to the bathroom to take a shower and Kise cleans up. Aomine shuts the door and revels in the peace of the bathroom, the soothing sound of water hitting the tile relaxing him. Not that he minds listening to Kise-bot, but when the hormones threaten to make him mess his pants, the endless chatter becomes unnerving. He looks at the developing scruff, muttering to himself that he needs to shave.

_Kise always liked the feeling of Aomine's scruff scratching against his inner thighs when Aomine would blow him. _

Aomine blinks, shoving the thought from his mind. Too late. His body is already stirred up, fatigue lowering his defenses. He strips down, looking at the jutting length. Well, at least he still had the ability to get hard easily. Grabbing a towel and slinging it over the shower door, he steps in and sighs as the hot water streams down his body, washing away the dirt and grime of the day. He runs some shampoo through his hair and rinses quickly, going for the shower gel next. He inhales it deeply. It was Kise's favorite scent and he had found a left over bottle when cleaning out the bathroom last month. He had wanted to save it for a special moment.

And that special moment is now.

Lathering up, Aomine makes sure that his hands are all slicked up. He starts out slow, rubbing his palms around his nipples, stiffening them up. The little touches send shock waves down his body and right to his groin. His cock twitches, the skin flushing even more. Deciding that he doesn't need a lot of foreplay, he smooths his hands down his stomach and oh so gently, he grips the base of his length and slides his palm up. His knees buckle and he uses his other hand to steady himself. His head drops down, chin pushed against his chest. He slowly pumps himself, setting up a teasing rhythm. At one point, his hips take the lead and he stills his hand, allowing his cock to slide effortlessly in and out of his cupped palm. Momentarily pulling his hand away, he reaches down between his legs to fondle his sac, a moan leaving him. His eyes are shut and he's imagining that it's Kise touching him. It's not a hard stretch, considering shower sex had been one of their favorite past times.

Kise is finishing up the dishes when he hears a moaning coming down the hallway. Worried that Aomine might be hurt, he hurries down the hallway and presses his ear against the door. The moan sounds again, but it is not from pain. Kise sucks on his bottom lip at the realization that the moan is one of pleasure. Slowly he cracks open the door, making sure that he is careful to not make too much noise. His fans whir faster when his eyes gaze at the semi-blurry form of Aomine's profile.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Aomine's hand is doing at his hips.

Feeling terrible but oh so right, Kise-bot continues to watch, his eyes focusing in, little mechanics working hard to clarify the picture presented.

"K-Kise…" Aomine grunts softly, hips jerking. There's a curling starting up in his lower stomach and he can feel his balls beginning to tighten up. He's imagining that Kise is on his knees, mouth sucking him all the way in. He opens his eyes and for a second, gold ones peer up at him. A figment of his imagination, but it's enough to help him over the edge. He lets out a soft cry, weakness filling his body as he spends himself all over the floor of the shower. He watches with hazy eyes as the white liquid swirls into the drain. Feeling satisfied, but a little dirty, he rinses off again and shuts off the water. Snapping the towel around his waist, he steps out, thinking about pulling out the futon and calling it a night.

However, the sight of Kise-bot staring at him stops him cold. Embarrassment and anger floods him and he jerks his towel up to cover his chest. For a moment, they just stand there in silence. Then all of a sudden, Kise-bot is moving towards him. Aomine backs up, the cold glass of the shower stall preventing him from going any further. Kise-bot's eyes are softened and his lips are slightly parted in wonder. Kise-bot curls his fingers into the towel and before either one of them can stop it, Kise-bot leans up and gently kisses Aomine on the lips. His lips are warm and soft, everything that they should be. But Aomine can feel the bile rising up in him and he pushes Kise-bot away.

"Aomine-"

"Why?" He asks, his voice soft and eyes pleading.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't help myself." Guilt seeps across the blond's face.

"I told you that would never happen." For some strange reason, Aomine feels as if his trust has been shattered in this android. Spying on him during his most intimate moment and then making an advance at him.

He thought they had an understanding.

"Aominecchi, please forgive me."

"Just leave me alone, KR-7007." Aomine pushes past Kise-bot, clutching his towel close. Hurt swamps Kise-bot and he feels tears prick his eyes before a hot wetness trails down his cheeks. He stands there, clutching air, listening to the bedroom door gently close and lock click.

"What have I done?"

0o0o0o0o0o0o

Akashi can tell that something has changed between Aomine and KR-7007. They can't maintain eye contact and any time KR-7007 touches Aomine, the male flinches away.

"You can go wait in the living room. There's some beers in the fridge if you would like." Akashi tells Aomine. He knew that they were coming for KR-7007's tune up, so he made sure to stock the fridge with Aomine's favorite brew.

"Thanks." Aomine mumbles and leaves. KR-7007 watches in longing before looking at Akashi.

"Akashicchi, I want you to remove some memories." Akashi quirks a brow. "Of the last twenty four hours please." KR-7007, the ever obedient android, takes his place in the stand. Not questioning but extremely curious, Akashi nods and hooks KR-7007 to an energy port to keep him charged while he's powered down. With a twist of the wrist, KR-7007's eyes go blank and Akashi opens up his chest unit and retrieves the memory disc. Sliding it into a portable player, he pulls up the memories with hardly concealed anticipation.

0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine definitely helped himself to the beers. He had slept on the cold ground beside the bed last night and his entire body ached. But not as much as he ached on the inside. He wanted to try to convince himself that accidents happened, but that was no accident.

Just when he had begun to develop…feelings…for KR-7007.

Four beers later on an empty stomach, Aomine is starting to feel pretty good. Looking at his watch, he discovers that an hour has passed. Akashi should have been done by now. Getting up, he stumbles down the hallway, things shifting and swaying. After opening a few wrong doors, he finally discovers Akashi's repair area.

"Daiki, what are you doing?" Akashi looks more flushed than usual, his face almost matching his hair. Aomine turns his attention to Kise-bot, chest open and parts exposed. He hisses.

"Fucking android." he walks up close, staring hard at the blank face. "Should have known he was no good."

"Daiki, you need to sit down. You're drunk." A hand on his arm makes him whip around.

"Fuck you. I'm not drunk." His eyes strain to focus on Akashi, but all he can focus on is that one yellow eye. A whine leaves him and he lurches forward, grabbing Akashi's coat and pulling him forward. "Why'd you have to leave me Kise?"

"Daiki, the hell are you talking about? I'm not Ryota." Akashi doesn't pull away though. Aomine grins.

"Don't play coy with me Kise." He murmurs, leaning down. The stench of alcohol makes Akashi raise his lip in partial disgust. But the other disgust comes from the fact that Aomine holding him so close is…arousing. Especially after the rather candid video of Aomine jerking off still fresh in his mind. "My life hasn't been the same without you." Akashi opens his mouth to retort, but Aomine catches him off guard by smashing their lips together. The kiss is sloppy at best, but Akashi soaks in every moment of it.

The two lock lips and Aomine's hand wanders to go around and grope Akashi's bottom, pulling him close. "Daiki…" Akashi murmurs, his mouth opening to allow Aomine to nibble at his lower lip and run his tongue along the underside.

"Quit calling me Daiki Kise." Aomine growls, pushing Akashi into the wall, rattling the nearby bookshelf. Aomine kisses down Akashi's shoulder and Akashi moans softly at the touches, gasping when Aomine grinds a semi-hard erection into his stomach. A rough hand pushes up under his shirt, fingers coming up to tease his nipples. Another hand pulls at the band around his hips, fingers threatening to slip inside. Akashi turns his head, Aomine's lips coming back up to capture his briefly.

Aomine suddenly pushes his face into his shoulder and a soft sob leaves him. "Why'd you leave me?" He can feel tears wet his neck and that brings reality smashing back down.

Aomine is only touching him because he's drunk and is hallucinating that he's his dead lover. The realization hurts more than he's willing to admit and he pushes Aomine away. Aomine stares at him, hurt, before shaking his head and ambling out. Akashi slides down the wall, not bothering to rearrange his disheveled clothes.

After managing to compose himself, he finishes KR-7007's touch up. But he doesn't turn him on. Instead, he stares at him. "I hate you." He seethes. "I hate that you still have him, even in death. Do you find this amusing Ryota? To know that you will have control over what I want? Is this your way of punishing me?" He is tempted to hit the android, but he understands that life is harder with broken fingers. "You were nothing but a fucking idiot. Daiki deserved better. He still does."

"Akashi?" A soft voice pulls him from his almost exploding rage. He turns around, Takao's face staring at him with wide eyes. "Is…is everything all right?"

"Yes." He states stiffly.

"Oh." Takao doesn't believe a word Akashi says, but he knows better than to press the issue. "Shin-chan took Aomine home. Aomine was passed out on the sofa and Shin-chan figured that you were still working on Kise."

Akashi glances back at the still powered down android. "Thank you. I will return KR-7007 to Aomine later. I still need to finish his tune up." Takao nods and disappears, making sure to close the door behind him. Akashi walks back up to KR-7007, running a finger down the cold cheek.

"I won't let you have him any more."


	6. I Forgive You

A/N: huge huge thanks to sandy for not only letting me play with her headcanons but helping in the plot development as well! for right now, this will be the last chapter, but i may be planning a short sequel in the future - we'll see!

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Akashi leans back on his legs, wiping the sweat from his brow. Rewiring a robot sure can be draining on a person. The inside of KR-7007's chest cavity is stripped of the unnecessary parts that had let it function independently, being replaced with internal controls that will allow Akashi to pilot the android. Hooking up the last wires, he finally shuts the chest plate and stands, bones cracking and spine hurting. The pain is worth it though, he tells himself. And nothing compared to the pain of losing Daiki more and more each day. He picks up the large computer chip that holds KR-7007's blueprints, including his memories. He considers breaking it because it is no longer of use. But he decides to simply store it on the table for right now. He's got a more important task now.

Sliding on some gloves with sensors lining the hands arms along with boots that go all the way to his lower thigh, he flips a button up on a machine. KR-7007 begins to whir, eyes popping open. The eyes, normally bright and full of emotion, seem void. Akashi fits a microphone piece around his ear and next to his mouth before flipping another switch on. A small buzz starts up in his ear and he clears his throat before speaking, "I am KR-7007."

KR-7007 repeats the words to the exact letter, except it is Kise's voice that says them. Akashi can't hide his glee. The sensors along his arms and legs glow and he tentatively lifts his right foot. KR-7007 mimics the movement. Akashi reaches out with his left arm and twists, curling and uncurling his fingers. KR-7007 never fails to repeat. Akashi picks up a pair of goggles on the table, watching in amazement (and pride over his work) as KR-7007 grasps the air in a similar motion. Sliding on the goggles, Akashi is presented with the view coming from the sensors in KR-7007's eye sockets. He sees himself, looking like a mad scientist out of a comic book.

Akashi decides that it is a good look for him.

Akashi takes a step towards KR-7007 and is rewarded with KR-7007 taking a step towards him.

Perfect.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine wakes with a start, sweat dripping down the back of his neck and his stomach swirling in unease. He hunches over his knees lightly, trying to catch his breath. He had been falling into darkness and when he hit the ground, it had startled him. The room is hazy, the single nightstand lamp giving him some clue as to where he is. He can't remember how he got home or who undressed him, but he is thankful nonetheless.

Until he figures out that he's laying in his bed. More specifically, in Kise's spot. He flails around under the covers and manages to fall off the side of the bed, the cold ground unforgiving. Moaning, he lays there for a second.

Last thing he remembers is Akashi's confused face and KR-7007's open chest.

Shutting his eyes, he pushes himself up and off the floor and is able to hold his own as he stumbles towards the bathroom. Splashing a little bit of cold water on the face helps. His stomach rolls again, this time in a protest of hunger. Ambling his way down the hallway, he notices that the living room television is on.

He stops in the archway of the hall, staring at the neat head of blond hair. "Kise?" He questions. The figure turns towards him, though no smile is given. Damn. It's the android again. Hopes feeling suddenly dashed, he shuffles into the kitchen and grabs a piece of fruit and heads into the living room.

"Aominecchi finally woke up." KR-7007 says, his tone controlled. Aomine raises a brow as he sits down beside him.

"Eh? How long was I out?"

"About a day. I tried to wake you, but you simply pushed me away and went back to sleep." Kise-bot does not look at him. Aomine frowns and looks at the television. Kise is watching a cooking show. Not that uncommon. But what does seem weird is Kise-bot's unnaturally stiff posture and the small dip in his lips. Finally, after a moment, Aomine speaks up again.

"Kise-bot…I'm sorry."

"About what?"

"About getting mad at you. Over the kiss and everything." Hell, he had dreamt that memory over and over again. Each time he saw Kise-bot's heartbroken face and the guilt swelled up in him. The real Kise would be abhorred by his treatment of his android self. And frankly, Aomine was sort of sickened by it himself. It had led to a small epiphany, he supposed. That he didn't really dislike Kise-bot. He actually enjoyed the robot's presence and had found himself thinking about Kise-bot more and more often. He would catch himself riding around in his patrol car, hoping that Kise-bot was having a pleasant time and was getting enough attention.

Perhaps he had refused to see it simply because it felt like cheating on the real Kise.

Right before the whole spying and kiss episode, Aomine had felt a sort of peace. That finally something assured him that what he was feeling wasn't wrong. Maybe it wasn't completely natural, but it wasn't wrong.

His dreams of Kise-bot reaffirmed that.

So here he is, apologizing for his stupidity. But Kise-bot seems less interested in what he has to say.

"Well?" Aomine nudges Kise-bot. Kise-bot scowls lightly.

"Well what?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Aomine mutters. Kise-bot turns around and glares at him.

/Glares at him./ Aomine didn't even think that was a possibility.

"Maybe I'm tired of feeling like I am less worthy of your ex-lover. I have feelings for you too and you continue to dismiss them simply because of who I am." Kise-bot stands, a sudden fire in his eyes. Aomine is left speechless. Sure, he could understand the words. But the attitude and anger. He would have expected more tears honestly. "You need to let go of your obsession over him. He is dead. Gone. Never to come back. You're an idiot if you continue to let him control your life!"

"The fuck is wrong with you?" Aomine demands, standing up and jabbing a finger into the hard chest. A move he instantly regrets.

"The fuck is wrong with me? The fuck is wrong with you. You're the one almost engaging in necrophilia!" Necrophilia? As Aomine puzzles over the word, Kise-bot backs up and heads for the hallway at an alarming speed. Aomine's eyes widen and he races after. By the time he gets to the bedroom, he stands there in shock as Kise-bot goes into the closet and begins to rip Kise's shirts off the hanger and destroys them.

An internal screaming starts up inside Aomine's head.

He rushes over and they begin a tug of war over a blue silk button down. The fabric rips and they both stumble back. "How…how could you?" Aomine whispers, looking down at the torn fabric. He looks back at Kise-bot in bewilderment.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Akashi feels a certain sort of satisfaction as he stares at Aomine, who looks like he's about to break down over the shirt in his hands. Akashi pulls at invisible fabric between his fingers, a /riiiiiippppppppp/ echoing in his ears. Aomine's face is becoming flushed and his eyes are bugging out.

"KR….why?" Aomine's heartbroken whisper makes Akashi falter for just a moment.

"Because I love you, Daiki."

As soon as the words leave his mouth, Akashi realizes that for once, he has made a mistake. He hopes that Aomine will not notice, but the male is now looking at him, eyes narrowed.

"Daiki? Did you just call me Daiki?"

Akashi's mouth opens and closes, remaining silent. Aomine comes close and Akashi backs up, KR-7007 doing the same. "What did Akashi do to you Kise-bot?"

"I don't know what you're talking about Aominecchi." The words sound like a lie even in his own ears. Aomine scowls and lurches forward. Akashi puts up his arms to deflect, but Aomine's long reach puts him at the off switch on KR-7007.

Everything goes black on his goggle screen.

"Fucking damn it."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine races down the street in his patrol car, the sirens flipped on and blaring for cars to get their asses out of the way. His gut was right. His gut was always right.

Aomine might not be the brightest, but he could tell there was something wrong with Kise-bot. He had been almost willing to forgive Kise-bot for going on his destructive rage, but then he had said "Daiki".

Kise-bot would have never been programmed to call him Daiki.

He lays down on the horn, cursing at people in his way. He's desperate to get to Akashi and solve this mess. Because all he wants now is his Kise-bot.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Akashi's has a little bit of time to prepare.

Not like he does much rather than strip out of his sensor equipment and grab the computer chip and put it into his pocket. He decides that this isn't a bad route at all for his plans. Probably the one of most resistance, but he did enjoy a good fight. Even though he knew he would win.

He always won.

He glances down at his watch, silently ticking away the seconds. The front door is kicked open. Akashi frowns at the thought of replacing it. It will cost a bit. The angry stomping comes next and Akashi smooths his hair down just in time as Aomine bursts into his lab, rage seething in his eyes.

"Daiki."

"What did you do to him?" Aomine demands.

"Where are your manners?" Akashi retorts politely. Aomine glances around as if that will help him solve the mystery. His eyes land back on Akashi.

"What did you do to Kise-bot?" His voice now reeks of desperation. Akashi lifts a lip in disgust.

"The KR-7007 you knew is right here." He holds up the chip. Aomine makes a grab for it, but Akashi knew that he would. He steps out of reach, holding the chip close. "You don't need this."

"Was that you? Talking to me?" Aomine has now discovered the microphone.

"Yes." Akashi sees no point in lying any more. "Each word I spoke was what I truly felt. Ryota is dead Daiki. KR-7007 was never meant to take his place. I was meant to take his place. I figured you would grow bored of KR-7007. Not develop…feelings…towards him. Yes. I know of your feelings. I've been watching each recording of you that was located in his memory chip. I could see the little looks you gave him. The way you grew closer and closer." His throat tightens at the thoughts. "It was like watching you fall in love with Ryota all over again. I couldn't have that."

"Akashi, you are seriously insane if you think I want anything to do with you after this. Give me the chip and I'll leave." Aomine reaches for his side. But there is no gun to grab. Akashi grins. He has the upper hand here.

"I think not Daiki." he looks at the chip in his hands. "I have plans for you Daiki. And the first step is to get rid of this." With ease he snaps the chip in half.

Aomine feels something snapping inside of him. It's like he's lost Kise all over again. He lunges for Akashi and for once catches the feared captain off guard. He slams Akashi into the wall, one fist flying up to pound into the red eye. Akashi can only hear ringing and the pain pulses through every part of his body. He kicks at Aomine, landing a good hit between the legs. He's immediately dropped and he scrambles on the floor, headed towrds his medication drawer.

Aomine catches his leg and pulls at him the moment he is able to grab a prefilled syringe and needle. The vicodin isn't doing much for him anymore. He has started to raid Midorima's morphine stock. But this dose was special. He had measured it out exactly for Aomine, having decided that he would use it to subdue the physically stronger male. Granted, he hadn't been expecting to have a knock down drag out fight with Aomine either.

Aomine is going completely ballistic. Akashi figures its the combination of being pissed at him and the emotions of grieving for almost four years exploding at once. Akashi grips the syringe tightly, letting himself be dragged back to Aomine who hovers above him threateningly.

Aomine goes in for another punch. In one swift move, Akashi uncaps the needle and manages to grab Aomine's arm in mid-swing, slamming the needle into Aomine. Aomine yells in pain and Akashi pushes the morphine fast. The effect is almost immediate. Aomine sways above him, his words slurring. He grips Akashi's neck, momentarily cutting off his air before his larger body finally crashes down on top of him.

Akashi closes his eyes and for a moment, he just rests there, the pain still throbbing in his head. He slowly wraps his arms around Aomine, stroking a hand through his hair.

"It's all right now." He whispers, kissing the side of Aomine's head. "I forgive you."

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The first thing he feels upon waking is unyielding cold steel beneath his bare back. The gentle beeps of monitor start to register in his head and the overhead light is so bright that he can barely open his eyes without feeling overwhelming agony.

He tries to move, but thick leather keeps him down and there is a fire burning in his arm. Groaning, he turns his head (the only thing that he /can/ move) and his blurry vision slowly clears. Sitting beside him is Akashi, who has something pressed up to his red hued eye. Finally he realizes that it's a bag of frozen peas. He notices swelling and a brief flare of satisfaction lights up before cold dread settles into his stomach.

"Ak-ashi…" He croaks, his voice hoarse from some unknown reason.

Akashi's good eye glances up at him. "Daiki."

"What's…what's going on?" he coughs, fire ripping through his chest from the action. It's like he's played a thousand rounds of basketball with no rest and everything is cramping and he can't catch his breath.

"The sedation wore off. Your body is fighting against the Diprivan, but I doubt it will be long before you succumb to it. I'm almost finished."

"F-f-finished?" A mild static shock races through his body but the pain seems amplified. His body bows off the table, a blood curling scream wrenching from his lips.

After an eternity, his body sags back down on the table. He blinks, eyes clouding over again. Akashi focuses back into view.

"Ak-shi?" He stutters. Was Akashi sitting there earlier? He can't remember.

Akashi puts down the frozen bag, his eye swollen shut. "Since you won't remember, I'm going to tell you." Akashi takes Aomine's hand, playing with the long fingers. "I love you Daiki. I always have. When Ryota stole you, I was heart broken."

Another shock went through Aomine and another scream echoes, body jerking and spasming. Letting go of Aomine's hand as to not get shocked himself, Akashi keeps talking. "So when Ryota died, I thought that was a sign that it was finally my chance to have you. But you continued to languish over him. You even started to love that robot. I refused to have you stolen away again." Watching Aomine struggle on the table hurt, but he knew it is for his own good. "So these shocks are going to impair your memory. You won't remember loving Ryota. You won't remember loving KR-7007. You won't remember hating me. And after I impair your memories, I am going to implant some. I've tampered with video memories, replaced Ryota's image with mine. And when you wake up, all you'll remember is loving me."

"Akashi. No." Aomine whispers, another shock sending him into convulsions. He blinks, the images fuzzy. He tries desperately to cling onto the memories of Kise when he was alive. But they're fading fast. "Please."

"I have to Daiki. It is necessary for both of us. Think of it this way, you won't be in pain over his loss anymore. And I won't be in pain of your rejection."

"I won't let you." Aomine feels a surge of energy and tries to rise up out of his bonds. Akashi leans over and turns up the drip rate of the propofol pump, watching the white liquid run faster into Aomine's arm, the contrast stark against his dark skin.

"Just close your eyes Daiki." Akashi can see that Aomine's will is weakening. His great body shudders, sweat dripping down his face and neck. His eyes flutter and Akashi leans over, pushing his eyelids close gently. "Sweet dreams." He murmurs, kissing Aomine lightly.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Aomine dreams of a blond haired man, the smile so bright Aomine mistakes it for the sun. He doesn't know who he is, but he knows that he's someone important to him. But every time he takes a step towards him, the man floats back. His arms are open, beckoning for Aomine to come into them.

Aomine starts running towards him, legs burning, chest heaving. But it is like he is running in place. The man seems to drift farther and farther away, fading into nothing. Aomine lets out a frustrated yell, searching for him.

After he can search no more and he lays on white nothing, footsteps rouse him. He looks up, mix-matched eyes staring down at him. A hand reaches out, offering to help him up. Aomine is wary of this stranger, his internal being screaming for him to stay away. But that screaming begins to fade, much like the blond haired man. Aomine raises a hand and grasps the smaller one, using it to pull himself up. The redhead smiles and Aomine smiles back. It seems…natural now. The blond is just a figment of his imagination and he pushes the lingering thoughts away as he walks with the redhead into the darkness.

0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Even after almost four years, the tomb marker still looks fresh. Akashi figures that perhaps Kuroko or Midorima has taken to keeping it clean and weed free. That had been Aomine's job, but since Aomine no longer lived close, someone else needed to do it. Not to mention the fact that Aomine no longer realized that he had been hopelessly in love with the blond idiot. Shaking his head, Akashi places a yellow rose on the marble and turns around, grinning lightly at seeing Aomine standing there patiently.

"C'mon, it's too depressing here." Aomine links his fingers with Akashi's once the redhead is close enough.

"You're right Daiki. Let's go home." The two amble away, taking in the fresh spring day. Akashi glances back and for a moment, he swears he sees a figure standing by the grave, blond hair being ruffled by the slight breeze. Gold eyes pierce his and Akashi feels a cold shudder go down his spine.

"You okay?"

Aomine's voice snaps him out of his trance and he realizes that there is no one standing by the grave. He turns his face up towards Aomine and he pauses to lean up and give him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Everything's perfect. Just as it should be."


End file.
